The faster we're falling
by Gustock
Summary: One-shot AU. Vauseman, age 17. Piper is working the summer in a Penny Arcade and happens to meet the infamous Alex Vause who turns out to be just what she thought she'd be and so much more.


AN: Okay, so this happened. THIS IS A REVISED VERSION OF WHAT I WROTE BEFORE. And it's much longer and I like it a lot more! I don't even know where this came from. Medicine had me in a pretty dark mood for three whole weeks and I kind of needed a change, so came the urge to write something lighter. But I wasn't in the right state of mind to come up with a WHOLE new setting (because that shit is hard) so... yep. I don't even know, people. Anyway, I'm probably going to write a short follow up to this to wrap everything up nice and clean. Again, it was insanely fun to write and I hope you all like it :) Any reviews are appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

On her first day, Piper stood outside of the arcade, bubblegum in her mouth and iPhone gripped tightly in her hand. She was late.

It looked really cool on the outside, that she had to admit. What used to be a flashing sign with a sparkling _Back to the 80's_ scrawled messily and with style on the front, it was now grey, turned off and letters missing but her friends called it _vintage._ None of them would have ever gone in though. No one _cool_ did. It was almost like a social norm.

Which is why Piper was terrified.

She shuddered. Bit her bottom lip. Considered calling her mom to pick her back up, even though she had just left. But then she remembered her condescending smile when she said, _oh, honey you don't need the money, and what could you possibly do? _And she gritted her teeth and opened the door.

.

The arcade opened at 11 am. It was run by an old man, too stubborn to admit the _Penny Arcades_ days were over and it was this big old store, with red carpets and an ever present smell of dust; it didn't have many windows and the greatest source of light were the machines themselves, a blueish color always falling on everything. It had maybe up to 40 coin ops and the incessant musical themes mixed up together made up a cacophony of sounds cheerful to the point it was irritating.

Mr. Wensley was almost always in the back, squinting at accountability books that Piper was sure were from at least 20 years ago, and he always addressed her as _dear. _She ran the till for the small assembly of jockeys, comics and figure actions they sold, plus a small fridge with cokes and the odd beer; some cookies and snickers and that was it.

There was only one other guy that worked there. His name was Jeff and he went to school with her, he had shakenly told her, although she could have sworn she had never seen him before and he was nice, Piper guessed, but she had never had an actual conversation with him. At first, Piper thought he was just weird. After a week she realized he was probably flirting with her in a rather nervous and unsettling manner but, somehow, he reminded her of Cal so she was nice to him, for the most part.

Piper had been enjoying her summer holidays, just lying on the couch of Polly's house, discussing how expensive shoes were, –although that wasn't a problem to her– when Polly had jumped up and suggested getting a job; talking excitedly about all the money they could earn. Piper had bobbed her head along her rant, showing support but with no intention of ruining her vacations over money she definitely didn't need. But at dinner that same night, when she had mentioned the idea mockingly to her parents, they had seemed positively horrified and condescending at the idea of their daughter –god forbid– _working._ And instantaneously she decided to play the part, just for the fun of it. It was always a thrill to upset her parents, although working was hardly a rebellious act.

What she really didn't expect was for it to be so _boring._

She had started on Monday. It was Wednesday. Barely 2 pm. She was slumped in her seat, slowly kicking the ground making the chair spin in endless circles, as she googled what to say to quit a job. It would be her first time quitting and she wanted to do it right.

The bell at the top of the door rang, signaling people were coming in but Piper didn't look up. A loud and deep laugh distracted her, a second lower voice still hurriedly speaking until it was suddenly cut short. A loud whisper followed that had Piper grimacing in confusion, "That's Piper Chapman."

She whipped her head up, immediately locking eyes with a pair of penetrating green orbs that had just turned in her direction after the whisper, and she frowned deeper in confusion.

"_Alex Vause_?" she whispered unbelievingly before she could stop herself, immediately sitting up and letting her phone fall on her lap as she pushed the chair forward so she could rest her elbows on the counter in front of her, a hand cupping her chin as she studied the girl curiously. _What is_ she _doing _here?

She was wearing all black, as usual, although a little more laid back than what Piper had witnessed at school, a change she acknowledged with a slight arch of her eyebrow as her eyes roamed over her body. Typical girl practice, nothing else. An oversized _Iron Maiden_ t-shirt, ragged shorts and worn out black converse. Her black framed glasses were perched up at the top of her head, leaving her face completely uncovered, except from a few strands of hair that she was pushing back as traces of her smile disappeared. She was using slightly less make-up than at school, too. She looked more pale, no lipstick, and uncurled eyelashes; although her signature black liner remained the same. Piper was so enthralled studying her face that she was able to capture every emotion that flashed across her features before she shut them off completely.

Alex Vause looked up, caught Piper's eye and her eyes widened slightly. Surprise. Then, confusion. Panic. It was only a second, a fraction of weakness, a snippet of fear that brought an uncomfortable weight to Piper's stomach because she knew why. It wasn't exactly _Piper_ who elicited that feeling in her, but who she was associated with. The fear only lasted a second, though, as did Piper's second hand guilt. Alex recovered quickly and she clenched her fists and stuck up her chin, her tone and eyes mocking and no trace in her face of anything but disdain when she said, "What's up, Princess?" Another second and the confidence that defined her shone through as a small, unamused smirk reached her lips and she continued, tauntingly. "You're one of Jessica Wedge's minions, right?"

Her friend; a tall, skinny and pale guy snorted a laugh before he stopped himself, covering his mouth with his hand. He gave Alex an uneasy glance before pursing his lips and looking away as if trying to avoid the situation, running a slightly trembling hand through his blonde curls. Piper eyed him briefly before returning her gaze to the present threat.

_Alex Vause. Ugh._

"My name is Piper." She answered defensively but keeping her tone neutral. She wasn't interested in starting up a feud with Alex. Nothing good could come off that.

But Alex didn't seem to mind as much as Piper.

She arched her eyebrows–she had _really_ nice eyebrows, Piper noted annoyed– and chuckled sarcastically in a way that had Piper gritting her teeth immediately. Alex answered without a second wasted, overly sweet apology in her voice, "Whoops, sorry. You minions all look the same." She said pursing her lips pityingly and Piper rolled her eyes and let out a loud sigh trying to communicate to Alex just how _over_ this she was.

"Don't call me that." She drawled, like talking to a little kid. She fell back on her seat and drilled her eyes into hers, daring her to keep going. Piper had heard of Alex Vause many times in her life and Alex must have heard about her too if she knew her name. She should have known Piper didn't stand being pushed around.

Or maybe she hadn't gotten the memo.

"What do I call you? Wedge #2?" She seemed to ponder, "Or is it #5?" She let that hang in the air questioningly and Piper smacked her lips together.

This was crossing the line.

"Stop it." She snapped and Alex arched her eyebrows, surprised.

"What? The Princess doesn't enjoy coming second? Well it's not _my_ fault you follow the queen around like a puppy." She smirked again, proud of herself and then waved her hand dismissively. "But if it bothers you that much, I can just call you Princess. I'd think you would be rather fond of that, wouldn't you?"

Okay. _Fuck her_. She wanted to play, Piper was _just_ as good.

"Like I've said…" She said with a steel tone, and making sure her face showed nothing but disinterest; like her heart wasn't thumping erratically in her chest, like her fists weren't curling under the counter. "I like names and mine is Piper. But if you're so passionate about nicknames I can make an exception for you. Maybe something you're already familiar with?" She said easily and with a smile curling at her lips. She saw Alex's whole body tense up although her face remained stoic. Piper's smile grew. "How does Greaser work out for ya?" She finished deadly, narrowing her eyes and tilting her head in question.

Now Alex's face cracked.

And Piper's stomach churned; the coward in her resurfacing in a second and overthrowing the asshole. Who was she kidding? Alex Vause was very very scary and Piper Chapman was very very _not. _And besides, that was just _mean. _She knew the moment she said it that it was bad. It had been Jessica's nickname for Alex for _years_ and the one everyone else eventually copied. Piper had definitely crossed the line now.

Alex took a hurried step forward, menacing, and Piper widened her eyes slightly before she could stop herself. Alex's fists were clenched and she looked like she was about to reply and Piper was completely sure anything that came out of her mouth right now would be pure venom, when the guy pulled at her arm muttering a soft but intent _stop_ under his breath. Alex didn't look at him but then he said her name, a little bit louder and a little bit pleading and she gave him a look that, truth be told, would have had Piper cowering away but he stayed put and she thanked his interruption because this was _so_ not what Piper was looking for. After a second, though, Alex rolled her eyes and stiffly turned around, not before flashing her with a look that didn't promise anything good and then her back was to Piper as she began walking away.

"Whatever." She said with a tone that sounded like anything but dismissing and more like clenched through her teeth. Piper shuddered, glad Alex wasn't piercing her with her eyes anymore. "See you around, blondie." They disappeared behind a bulky machine and Piper tried to still her trembling hands as a breath she didn't know she had been holding slipped out of her lips. Alex Vause was a living nightmare. Everybody at school knew that, she was nothing but trouble. Exactly the kind Piper avoided at all costs but now she seemed to have managed to get on her bad side in only the first time she had actually spoken to her in less than five minutes. Way to go.

Alex's mortal enemy was Jessica Wedge, Piper's… _friend_, although that might be pushing it a little. Piper's group of friends often collided with Jessica's and so the result was a messy mixture of people; but they were nice. For the most part. And so was Jessica, when she was not preying on another sad, vulnerable kid. Alex had once been Jessica's favorite punching ball, but that was a while back, before she had learned to outsmart her and now Piper was sure Jessica was, at least to some extent, afraid of _her_. And not without reason.

Alex Vause at 17 was the most intimidating person Piper knew. And Piper had only watched her from afar. All black clothes, matching black hair and glasses, superior attitude, eternally looking down on people, her favorite word was probably _fuck_ and next to that 95% of times a _you_ would accompany. Tested and proven. She was the queen of sarcasm and she didn't take bullshit from anyone. Not even teachers, something that had gained her more than a few days spent in detention and also quite the reputation.

She was the _definition_ of trouble.

She was also probably the hottest girl in school, although she had never had any boyfriends. Piper assumed high school boys were kind of a thousand miles under her league. She couldn't imagine a girl like Alex with any of the dimwits that attended her high school. Even Piper had trouble standing most of them and it was safe to say she had far more tolerance than Alex Vause.

She sighed, irritated and especially annoyed at that unwanted and senseless guilt weighing on her stomach. _She started it,_ she tried to reason, but it didn't help. She had never approved of Jessica's bullying, she had actually always been 100% _against _it_,_ although she never did anything about it; but now, she had used that against Alex. And it had been cruel. Because yes, Alex had been an asshole and yes, her anger was misdirected because it was never Piper that mocked her but she couldn't really blame her when she had been probably there every time she had been mocked by Jessica. Watching. From the side. While everyone laughed. Piper remembered how horrible it was. She remembered thinking she hoped _that_ was never _her_.

_Oh, jesus. _She let her head fall back, looking at the ceiling. This was horrible. This was all Polly's fault. This was all her parents fault for letting her work. It was summer! What was she even doing here? She groaned and shook her head, kicking her feet against the floor, trashing at her bad luck and biting her lip as she thought of what to do. She wasn't a _bad_ person. She felt horrible, and bad people don't feel horrible after doing bad things so she wasn't a bad person.

The problem was that if she wasn't a bad person—and she wasn't—then she was a good person, and good people… Piper shuddered again. Good people apologize. _Fuck_.

But okay, maybe it wasn't necessary to go to that extreme. If it were any other person in the world, she would but this was Alex Vause. Definitely not anyone. And Piper would very much rather catch pneumonia than apologize to her. Maybe if she could avoid her, then she could just forget about it, because did it really matter? Yes, it had been cruel but she wasn't going to talk to her ever again anyway. Maybe she could turn this into one of those _learn to let things go_ lesson instead of those _know when to say sorry _ones_. _So it would be fine. And it had also completely made up her mind into getting the hell out of this could not possibly work here with _that girl_'s presence. Piper was not wired for confrontations and there was no way in hell she could handle another little stand-off with that— _ugh._

She must have stayed there, head thrown back in her seat, feet always moving against the floor kicking her from one side to the other for a long time, up until _that_ voice snapped her out of her reverie.

"Tired already, Princess?" Piper jumped in her seat and watched as Alex gracefully made her way over to the counter. She looked much more composed now, even managing to muster up a smirk after startling her like that but in her eyes there was still a storm raging, and Piper immediately put her defenses up, gathering herself in order to seem unperturbed by her presence but she failed miserably. Unreasonably, she'd always thought of Alex—and it was completely confirmed now, interacting with her for the first time ever—as some type of wild animal. The gracefulness she wandered with, the deadliness in her smile, the sharpness yet tantalizing cadence of her voice. She was all hypnotic seduction until you found yourself trapped right under her claws and then you were done for. Piper had seen it. No one dared challenge her anymore in school. And she had messed with Piper until her temper had had the better of her and now she was here to get revenge, because there was no way Piper was getting away with she had said to her. And like a caught prey, claws over her throat, Piper tremblingly awaited until she delivered her blow.

"What happened to you? Nothing to say anymore? Don't tell me that was all you had for me, 'cause I don't believe it for one second." She said with a slight, dark chuckle. She was pissed, Piper could see it. However, at her lack of response, Alex narrowed her eyes and leaned over the counter. Piper imagined her smelling her for blood. "Jesus, what's with you, Princess? Are you like, giving me the silent treatment right now?" She delved into her eyes, making Piper squirm in her seat unable to look away until her eyes widened with pure joy and she pushed back off the counter, letting out a bark of a laugh. "Are you scared of me?" She asked disbelieving.

"Are you going to punch me?" Was all Piper said, scrunching up her face in worry and pushing her chair back to get as much space between them as she could. She needed time to run if it came to it.

But at that, Alex burst out laughing again and for some unknown reason, it partially melted Piper's frozen stomach because in that moment, she didn't look threatening at all. More like amusingly adorable, shaking her head and holding her tummy as her body shook with laughter.

"_No, _I'm not going to _punch you."_ She asserted when she had calmed down enough to speak, although still slightly out of breath and with such a _duh_ undertone to it that Piper couldn't help her cheeks from pinking. Alex must have noticed because she quirked her eyebrows and then shook her head again, as she stepped against the counter, resting her elbows on it and letting out a sigh. "I still hate your guts but that was pretty fucking hilarious, kid."

"Shut up. I just thought—" She started but then stopped herself. _…that it was only fair considering what I said._ But no. Hell no. She'd already embarrassed herself enough for today and after Alex laughed at her for a whole two minutes she kind of felt like they were even.

"What?" Piper shook her head, avoiding her eyes. Alex chuckled. "Oh, I'm dying to know what the Princess thought, please, do share." She continued in mock pleading. Piper just rolled her eyes. She was not falling for her teasing again. She counted to ten.

"What do you want?" she replied, curtly.

"What do I want? I'm a customer; aren't you supposed to be nice?"

Piper rolled her eyes again and folded her arms before saying with a slightly less edgy tone, "Can I help you?"

Alex's smirk got wider. "There you go." She pulled a five out of her back pocket and stretched her hand for Piper to take it. "Coke and a beer."

Piper flicked her gaze from her hand to her eyes, not believing the nonchalance with which Alex had asked that.

"I can't give you a beer." Piper said like it was the most obvious thing in the world and Alex frowned deeply in utter confusion, before flicking her gaze to the freezer and then back to Piper.

"Why not? You have one right there." She said with a pointed look.

Piper gasped. "_Because_."

"What, Princess? Use your words."

"You're seventeen. It's illegal."

Alex stared at her, apparently torned between amusement and annoyance for a whole minute before she deadpanned, "You're fucking with me, right?" Piper didn't answer, instead choosing to tighten the grip on her forearms, her arms folded neatly against her chest. Then Alex clicked her tongue, finally deciding to incline for annoyance and continued. "The guy that worked here before you never made a big deal about it."

"Well…" She didn't know what to say for a second and then, defensively, "Do you see _him_ around? 'Cause I don't."

"Jesus _fucking_—" She groaned and then ran her palm down her face before facing her again with determination. "Hey. Princess? It's a beer, okay? I'm not asking you to overthrow the fucking government with me. Haven't you ever drunk a beer?"

"Yeah." She stuttered out, half challenging, half uncertain and Alex made a gesture with her hands as if saying _so?_ She was awaiting her answer.

Piper pursed her lips, opened her mouth to say something, closed it again. _It's just a goddamn beer. _But she wasn't just going to give it to her for free. If she was going to break the law— and no, when _she_ drank beer it didn't count _because_— she was getting something out of Alex from it.

"Say my name." She said, and Alex arched her eyebrows. _That came out weird._

"I mean—" She backtracked. "Maybe…" She let the word hang in the air for a bit. A condition. "If you ask nicely and use my actual name, I could… overlook the law."

Alex blinked and then her laugh resonated through the store. "Are you serious?"

"My name." She insisted. "Maybe even a please. It's just manners." She stated, squaring her shoulders and Alex pursed her lips, seemingly attempting to hide her smile.

But then she hesitated and her smile faded. She glanced at the mini fridge, pursed her lips again, and narrowed her eyes at Piper. The suspicion in her eyes rubbed on Piper and suddenly she felt bad again for asking this of her after what she'd said and she was considering apologizing when her voice prevented her from slipping down that road. Thank god.

"Fine." She said finally, rolling her eyes. "Can I _please _get a beer and a coke, _Piper_?"

Without a word, Piper snatched the drinks from the mini fridge and placed them on the counter. "Here you go." She said cheerfully and added, "You should work on that attitude, though."

Alex scoffed, but her disdain seemed to have subsided a bit. An awkward silence followed before Alex turned around to leave, with her drinks in her hands; and just as she was about to round the corner she threw over her shoulder, "Thanks, Princess. You're a real treat."

Piper groaned and she answered without even realizing why she was falling into her game again.

"Whatever, Nerd!" She yelled back and Piper could barely hear the echo of a low chuckle. She shook her head with a roll of her eyes and a slight tug of her lips. _It's something, I guess._

The rest of the day was uneventful. The arcade closed at 7 pm and Piper knew Alex Vause was still in the store since she had heard her booming laughter all the way to the till every once in a while all afternoon. Truth be told, she was dying to know what she was doing here now that she wasn't stupidly scared of her punching her pretty face. She just never would have pictured her for the girl that'd enjoy videogames. And _old_ videogames, at that. She was also dying to know who was that guy; that scrawny, hesitant kid that could handle someone as intimidating as her.

But she didn't dare. Every time she entertained the thought of wandering over to her, she was stopped by the image of her dangerous eyes after she'd called her— _that. _And so she just let time pass by until it was only half an hour until closure and Jeff took out the broom to start preparing. Piper kept spinning in her chair, completely disinterested in cleaning up because honestly, what for? No one ever came in here, the only thing they could do was dust off and that wasn't something she was going to be doing every day; and with that it weirdly hit her as she stopped with her feet grounding her in place. Wasn't she going to quit?

And that was the moment Alex Vause plus company decided to show their faces. Alex's friend high fived Jeff on his way to the door before saying _see you next week, Jeff_ while Alex patted him on the back. Her friend walked out the door and Piper watched as Alex followed feeling a bit like yelling _it's just manners _after her because was she seriously not even going to goddamn wave at her? But just as she was about to let go of the door she glanced over her shoulder and they locked eyes.

And Piper decided that maybe she could give this job one more week, and just see how things went. Maybe she'd end up liking it. Who knows?

.

It was a slow goddamn week, that much she knew.

Between dusting the machines off, vacuuming the carpets, cleaning up the counter at least twenty times a day just because, and punching the odd coin op that got stuck, Piper didn't have a lot to do. Everyday, no more than five people would go into the store, mainly old broke dudes attempting to relive their golden days by replaying their childhood games.

She tried many times at making conversation with Jeff but he just couldn't seem to move past the awkward nerves so that turned out to be fruitless and by the end of the week Piper was positively dying of boredom.

On Monday she dozed off on the counter and Mr. Wensley woke her up with a reproachful frown on his face. Piper had to clean her drool off the counter, face red. On Tuesday she almost fell off the chair as she spun on it and so she forced herself to stop, although her jittery feet never ceased moving. On Wednesday Alex Vause walked through the door and her heart thumped loudly in her ears.

"You're still here, huh?" Was the first thing she said, looking at her with mock disappointment and Piper had to suppress a smile. She was just eager to finally have something to focus on, and although irritating, Alex was definitely not _dull._

"Well, you know, people usually last more than a week on jobs." Piper answered and Alex smirked.

"Didn't fit you with the working type in the first place." She quipped back easily and Piper rolled her eyes, trying to think of something else to say but then she spotted the friend, reaching up to tell her something and Alex tore her eyes away from Piper to glance at him. She let out a laugh before she shook her head and then she leaned in to whisper something to him and Piper arched her eyebrows, surprised. She thought this was the first time she'd ever seen Alex Vause so close to someone. She'd always pegged her for more of a loner. She set her face straight to normal when she pulled away and then her friend walked away, to the back of the store while Alex walked up to the counter. "How you doing, Princess?" She said, eyeing the freezer behind her.

"Maybe I should stop answering you whenever you call me that." Piper mused, standing up to reach her eye level. Well. Almost.

At that, Alex's eyes snapped back to hers and she chuckled lightly, amused. Piper cleared her throat, looked away. "It's Princess. Kind of a compliment if you ask me."

"It may _sound_ like a compliment but you don't mean it like that, do you?" Alex threw her head back and laughed and Piper couldn't help but feel proud at making her laugh.

"Got me there."

"A coke and a beer?" Piper asked, reaching behind her for the freezer, and Alex smirked smugly.

"Glad to know I make an impression enough for you to remember." She said, conceited and Piper rolled her eyes.

"I usually remember people who were assholes to me." She deadpanned but at that, Alex's eyes flashed dangerously and Piper regretted immediately her words.

"Me too." She mused lowly. They eyed each other curiously until Alex slammed her hand on the counter gripping a five and continued, "Yes, coke and beer."

Piper swallowed, feeling dizzy at the intensity of her eyes. She turned around and snatched them from the freezer, and as she spun back around she made up her mind. She grabbed a snicker from her left and placed it in front of Alex who frowned in confusion.

"Listen… _Alex."_ She quirked her eyebrows playfully and Piper looked away otherwise the mocking in her eyes would make her change her mind. "About what I said last week…" From the corner of her eye she could see her tense up. "It was _dumb _and—and _stupid_ and just—"

"Not _nice?"_ She asked, taunting and dark, and Piper gritted her teeth.

"No." She answered and then she looked at her. Alex seemed surprised at her honest answer although her face recovered in a second and she was back to mild interest, except it fell back apart when Piper said her next words, determinate. "I shouldn't have said that. And I'm sorry."

Alex was clearly taken aback and she seemed to struggle with something to say for a second, her eyes slightly widened in a gesture that made Piper instantly decide that she wasn't so bad. She looked vulnerable, and anyone who was capable of looking that open was definitely not scary. Alex glanced down and after another second of awkward silence she muttered, "…so what's with the chocolate?"

Piper pushed it forward and said, "Consider it a peace offering, okay?" Alex didn't say anything, her eyes still glued to it and Piper was getting more nervous every silent second stretching. Why wasn't Alex saying anything? Oh man, she needed to say something. "Did you know chocolate makes people happy?" She blurted out and Alex looked up. That only made her more nervous. "It makes you release endorphins, that are also called love friends. That's why people in love give each other chocolate." Alex quirked her eyebrows and a smile began creeping up her face. Piper didn't know what to do. "Besides being all about making you feel good and pleasure and… stuff…"

Alex kept looking at her with a full blown grin now on her face and it was doing weird things to Piper's stomach, until she finally said, "Well, it's nice to see you concerned about me getting my pleasure." And Piper felt her face tainting red. She pushed the items forward, encouraging Alex to take them and _just go, goddamnit._

"Yeah, anytime." She said, still trying to keep the upper hand by making a joke but that only managed to make Alex chuckle and her stomach flutter even more.

"Thanks, _Pipes_." Piper stared at her dumbfounded for a second at the nickname. "I'll keep that in mind." She quipped back, gathering her food and starting to walk backwards, away from her, eyes still trained on hers. "See you around, Princess." She said, before finally turning around and releasing Piper from her stare. She was already a good distance ahead before Piper was able to recollect her thoughts and think of a good comeback.

"Yeah, okay, Nerd."

Well. As good as she could manage.

Alex's loud, throaty laugh resonated through the store.

.

Piper spent the rest of the day on edge, not sure if she was expectant of Alex to come back or hoping she didn't. Again, her laughter could be heard al throughout the store and every time it brought a smile to her lips. It was quite a catchy laugh and more often than not she could hear loud voices, seemingly invested in some game, yelling in tension and then in either congratulation or defeat. She had considered all week telling Polly about Alex Vause coming to the arcade apparently every week with some guy and spending hours inside but then she'd thought about her probable answer, '_ha, are you kidding? Wait until Jessica finds out'_ because Polly just _loved_ giving Jessica new gossip and then they'd have yet another thing to mock her about at her back and Piper couldn't. It would be mean and petty and she didn't want anything to do with it; not to mention it would trump out her whole apology. Besides, Alex was kind of mysterious and Piper liked herself a good challenge every once in a while. And if she was going to be stuck here the whole summer with weekly visits from the high school's badass she couldn't help but wonder if maybe she'd be able to figure her out.

The thing about Alex Vause was that she wasn't cool in the same way Jessica Wedge was —and, by extension, Piper. Not because of her friends, or the clothes she wore or because she had awesome stuff— which she didn't (again, the nickname calling haunted her before she pushed the thought back). She wasn't cool because of anything _tangible._ She just had something enthralling about her. The way she carried herself, with so much confidence and ease, as if she knew for a fact she was better than anyone else. She looked as if she had been written off a book with such a greater story than she led on. She was interesting. And scary. Piper's heart thumped loudly against her ribcage at the thought of talking to her again, of those wandering and penetrating eyes focused on her. But man, she wanted to.

Piper checked her phone. Ten minutes until 7, already. And the thought of having to wait _another_ week for her to come back again, her only entertainment in this god forsaken store, made up her mind.

_Screw it, _she thought, standing from her seat and walking around the counter. If she was stuck here, might as well socialize.

She peered into the halls while Jeff swept up the entrance and when she spotted her, she stood still, watching for a moment.

She was playing with her friend in a tabletop, one of those two player games where you sit in front of what looks like a table and use joysticks. Alex's brows were furrowed in concentration and she was mumbling to herself, louder every time until Piper could distinguish curses in between.

"Fuck." She whined and Piper didn't remember ever seeing her so at ease. Her face was half grimace, half smirk a frown in her face, her full concentration on the game in front of her. "No, no, don't fucking do that." She bit her lip. Piper imitated her, holding her laughter in. Alex groaned. "Fucking hell, Tom." She was gripping the joystick tightly, whispering something Piper couldn't catch but her smile was spreading until-"Yes! Ha! Fuck you, you bubblery piece of shit, I got you." Piper almost snorted. Alex pressed a single button repeatedly with multiple _ha's _in between. "Oh, you're so done. Your army is a single stain on this screen. You're so. Fucking. Done." Each word punctuated by buttons pressed harshly and then, what finally made Piper collapse into incontrollable laughter, she dropped the joystick on the table and raised her arms over her head, yahooing loudly, while Tom placed his head between his hands, grieving.

By this point, Piper couldn't breathe. She exploded with a loud _pffft_, shoulders shaking and nose snorting. She managed to sneak a glance at Alex, who had turned to look at her with brows furrowed and a mixture of amusement and defensiveness in her eyes, before Piper's stomach started cramping up and she bend over, the heels of her hands on her knees for support and Alex out of sight.

"What's so funny?" She seemed to have inclined to defensiveness, because she disregarded Piper with distant dislike. Piper was laughing too hard to answer. "Hey. Princess." She snapped her fingers at her, rudely, trying to get Piper's attention. With effort, Piper looked at her, slowly calming her tidal wave of laughter. "Come here." Piper stepped closer shakily and without thinking, wiping the tears at the corner of her eyes with the back of her hand, still giggling.

"You're such a nerd." She said first, voice thick with laughter and Alex and her friend glanced at each other, pure and matching mock offense in their eyes.

"She did not just say that." Said her friend.

"But she did." Stated Alex seriously.

"We must avenge our honor."

Alex threw her head back and laughed, shaking her head.

"Jesus, Tom, that _is_ really fucking nerd." She glanced at Piper who was watching them with wide joyful eyes and a toothy grin still plastered on her face and she pondered for a second before smirking and gesturing at her friend with a nod. "But you're right. Tom, get up. Princess… sit." She ordered smugly and Tom stood up from his seat with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, she's gonna crush you."

Piper stood confused for a second before inching closer and sitting down. Alex looked her up and down. "Did you actually just call me a nerd? For real this time?" She seemed amused by the fact.

Piper pursed her lips and tried to contain her laughter. "You are." She quipped and Alex let out a laugh, the first one she'd directed at her without the mocking/tense element and it was _nice_. Piper felt herself get a little flustered.

"Have you played this before?" She prompted and Piper looked down. She recognized a game her brother used to play, an old version of a PlayStation Game and especially the green and –in fact blubbery looking aliens.

"Yes."

Alex seemed pleased and gestured at the machine.

"You can pay for this match."

Piper shook her head at her playful formalness and stretched her back, raising her ass so she could search for coins in her back pocket. She stuck out her tongue to Alex when she found one and that's when she realized three pairs of eyes were locked on the stretch of skin visible from her hiked up t-shirt. Two creeped her out. One confused her. She sat back down and cleared her throat, placing the coin in the tabletop just as Alex's eyes snapped back to hers, but instead of looking embarrassed like Piper expected anyone to be after being caught sneaking glances at people's bodies, Alex's smirk widened and she winked.

Piper stared dumbfounded for a second, feeling her face heating up until she managed to blurt out, "So, let's play."

Without a word, Alex took the coin and inserted it in the machine. The game came to life and they both grabbed their joysticks. It was different from the PlayStation game; slower, less movement, but the premise was the same. Destroy your enemy's army. Easy peasy.

Piper often screwed up the buttons; she confused which one was to blast and which one to lift your tiny shield but even so, in no time they were both ranting at the screen, pressing the joystick buttons a tad harder than was necessary, and it was easy to see they were both competitive as hell. There was no way she was going to lose just so Alex would have more reasons to make fun of her. She leant forward and set her mind to it.

Piper was completely focused on the game. There were only 5 remaining soldiers of each team. Boom. One less for Alex. Boom-Boom. Two less for Piper.

"I've got this." Whispered Alex through gritted teeth, right before Piper blasted another two of her soldiers. "Fucking _shit-"_

"You're dooooone." Sing sang Tom, who had moved to stand right behind Alex, occasionally cheering her on but at this, Alex elbowed him in the gut. "Hey!" He protested and when Alex mumbled a distracted _shut up_, he leant forward and ruffled her hair in payback. Alex yelped, perching her glasses up messily to try and push the hair out of her face exactly the moment Piper shot her two remaining soldiers. With a loud and chirping music that made Alex narrow her eyes in annoyance, the game ended and she spun around in her seat glaring at Tom.

"You fucking traitor." She hissed as she rearranged her hair and pulled her glasses down. "That was not fucking fair." She turned around to face Piper now who was seemingly trying really hard to contain her laughter again and she went on. "I didn't even get to see you shooting them!"

"Maybe it was because your glasses weren't in your eyes." Deadpanned Tom and Piper snorted loudly.

"And why weren't they in my eyes, you asshole?" Her tone was still angry, but she was stealing glances at Piper whose shoulders were shaking with laughter again; and after each glance, her eyes became softer until her scowl finally disappeared and she rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. "Jesus. _Shut up_." She threw a bubblegum wrapper at her and Piper flicked it back immediately.

"You want a rematch?" She taunted confidently. "But this time, no crying when you lose." Piper said, with a toothy grin.

"You bet your ass I want a rematch. But this time, _you_." She said, giving Tom a pointed look before flicking her hand in the general direction of _away_. "Stay over there." Alex replied her voice thick with laughter and Tom booed her before going to stand next to Piper instead.

"You can pay for this match." Said Piper, parroting her words and Alex scoffed. She took a coin from the pile next to her when someone cleared their throat loudly.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Wensley. We were just cleaning up here." Piper stood up quickly and gestured awkwardly at Jeff, who was holding the broom.

"I see that." He said with a sweet smile. "You can play for a while if you want to, just remember to turn off the lights and pull down the curtain. Goodnight, kids."

"Bye." Said a chorus of voices, all four of them glancing delightedly at each other.

"What time is it?" Asked Piper at no one in particular when they could hear the front door closing.

"A quarter past 7." Answered Tom, checking his phone.

"_Crap."_ Alex gave her a questioning look but she ignored it, hurrying down the hall and grabbing her purse that was resting against the wall behind the counter. She pulled out her cellphone. It was buzzing.

"Hello?"

She winced at her mother's tone.

"Piper Elizabeth Chapman, I've been waiting for over 15 minutes. Why don't you pick up your phone?"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I was just – uh, busy–"

"I don't care _what_ you were doing; you have to pick up your cellphone when I call you."

"Yes, mom, I know but-"

"Don't argue with me. Come outside, now. We'll talk in the house."

"Okay." She groaned and her mother hung practically threw her phone back in her bag and tried to prepare herself mentally for her mother's scolding. Jesus Christ. Why hadn't she just quitted in the morning?

"Everything alright?"

She jumped and spun around in one swift move.

"Jesus. Watch it." She snapped and Alex raised her eyebrows, surprised at her outburst.

"Calm down, Princess." Piper gritted her teeth. "Leaving already? I thought we were playing the rematch." Alex leant against the counter with her arms folded, staring at her expectantly.

"My mom's waiting outside, I have to go." She replied with a slight purse of her lips and started for the hallway, looking for Jeff. When Alex followed, Piper threw over her shoulder, "And I thought I told you not to call me Princess."

"You thought? Then how was I supposed to know?"

Piper rolled her eyes, trying _really _hard not to be amused by her joke. Thankfully, Alex didn't see her.

"Is it really that hard to call someone by their name?"

"Princess suits you." She replied, tersely. Piper had to suppress a shiver. "Or would you rather a number? I'll even give you Wedge #1. Just 'cause I'm nice like that."

Now that, she didn't find amusing.

"Seriously, can you be more of an asshole?" She spun around and since Alex had been walking right behind her, she had to stop dead in her tracks. Their faces were inches from each other. Piper had a scowl on her face while Alex's faint smile turned into a full-blown grin.

"I mean, I can try if you want to." She drawled. Piper groaned and Alex laughed. "So, how can you go from super cute laughing to this moody angry person in less than a minute? You've got some serious mood swings, kid."

Piper's heart sped up at her words and she ran them over in her head before answering.

"Sorry." She mumbled after a second hesitantly and Alex laughed again. She had this rich laugh, deep and loud. It made her want to laugh with her. They were alone and Alex's laugh resonated in her chest and despite what Alex had said, Piper thought she was nice. And funny. She had to give her that, although more than slightly annoying, but she was pretty sure she did that on purpose, which made it weirdly all the more alluring.

Piper realized she had never been so close to her. She smelled good. Alex's eyes were trained on hers but then she licked her lips and Piper couldn't help but let her eyes travel down to catch the movement. A small smile appeared on her lips which Piper reciprocated immediately and Alex opened her mouth to say something when Piper heard ruffling sounds nearby and she took a step back so quickly that she tripped with her own feet and fell on her ass.

"Fuck!"

"Piper?" Jeff showed up at the end of the hallway and hurried down to help her. Meanwhile, Alex was too busy laughing to even stretch out a hand. Piper glared at her while she took his hand and rose to her feet heavily, dragging her bag with her.

"Thanks, Jeff. You're so sweet. I was actually looking for you." She switched her tone to cheerful and Alex, a mocking smirk still plastered on her face arched her eyebrows. Piper ignored her. "I wanted to ask you, do you think I could leave early tonight? My mom's already outside. I'll make it up to you tomorrow, I promise." She asked lingering and with a soft, alluring tone and then she ruffled his hair playfully. He almost choked on his own spit.

"Oh yeah, of course." He replied immediately. "I'll talk to you tomorrow then! Have a good… um, night and… yeah. Bye." He finished before awkwardly patting her shoulder.

"Thank you so much, Jeff." She ended with a soft squeeze to his forearm and then stepped away quickly. She walked down the hallway, brushing past Alex who still had her eyebrows raised in a questioning look. "See you tomorrow!" She yelled after her at Jeff.

She was almost at the door when Alex's voice stopped her.

"Poor guy."

Piper stopped and shook her head, smiling before she turned around.

"Why are you following me?"

Alex gasped exaggeratedly, with a hand to her chest, looking offended.

"You're the one who talked to me about manners if I recall correctly. Its manners to say goodbye."

Piper offered her a toothy grin before she replied, shaking her head, "Making me feel bad for my decisions; classic manipulation."

"Now I'm hurt."

"Still making me feel bad." She chanted cheerfully and Alex chuckled.

"Damn. Who knew you were so annoying?"

"Well, I _am_ a Princess. Princesses are spoiled and entitled. And also, always right. _And_ we always win, which you've already verified."

The minute she said that, Alex started shaking her head and Piper couldn't believe what a sore loser she was.

"No, nope, that was not fair." She pointed an accusatory finger behind her, signaling in a general direction where Tom should be, "If _he_ hadn't messed up my hair–"Piper started laughing and Alex rolled her eyes, "Okay, I'm done. Get out of here. Shoo."

Still laughing, Piper opened the front door, the bell tingling above her head. "Bye, Nerd."

A smile. "Bye, Princess."

The whole ride home, she spent thinking about Alex's smile at the end; probably the only honest smile she'd given her and Piper decided Alex Vause was actually pretty damn nice.

.

The next month was actually fun.

She had to wait a week again for Alex to come back and it wasn't so much torture anymore because she'd actually began to enjoy the games. Jeff wasn't a big fan of them, and he actually preferred just sitting munching on anything he could find so by the end of the week they realized they had actually been holding the wrong positions; and so they switched. Jeff took the counter and Piper got to round the halls, playing everything that came in front of her. It was a miraculous cure for boredom and several days even Cal would show up to play with her, completely fascinated with his big sister's cool job. And then it was Wednesday again and after awkwardly wandering around the strange and alluring couple, (and after a few minutes of angry whispering coming mostly from Alex) Tom had invited her over, while Alex exaggeratedly rolled her eyes. And Piper found that Alex and Tom were actually a good match, despite their glaring differences. The mocking was something they were both familiar with, the playfulness never leaving their voices and both completely mastering the art of poker face and Piper found her stomach cramping up with laughter more often than not.

In the second week of them hanging out languidly in the arcade, and after a particularly long laugh attack from Piper elicited from Alex shamefully reaching up to ruffle her hair in order to win the game, (and it deserves to be mentioned that after that, even though she won, Alex continued to stare moodily at Piper as she convulsed, and it was pretty clear to Tom that she was trying to hold back in her own fit of incontrollable laughter), Tom had distractedly asked what did Piper do in this place all day when they weren't there. And with a shrug, Piper had simply answered _nothing, really_.

And so, Tom had mischievously turned to Alex and asked her _you said you were alone at your house everyday anyway, right? Why don't we come here and hang out with Piper more often? _Piper was instantly thrilled by the idea and Alex had disinterestedly shrugged her shoulders as she looked away, sneaking a glare at Tom and mumbled a hesitant _I guess we could._

They went by at least three times a week and it sometimes blew Piper's mind to think that she had ever been scared of _Alex_. She was sarcastic and flirty and Piper was constantly on the edge between being annoyed at her jabs and flustered by her subtle (always a bit mocking) compliments but she had learned to recognize that, that was just her_._ And she also had to admit to herself that she was amused by her on a daily basis and it always brought a smile to her face to think of her. Piper didn't think she'd ever meet someone like her. In just a few weeks of knowing her, she'd become one of her favorite people; and as fate would have it, it turned out that Alex Vause was pretty damn amazing.

One day, she was bending over cleaning the mini fridge – which apparently hadn't been cleaned since it had been bought, judging by the frozen lumps of mysterious substances literally _everywhere – _when she heard a loud noise near her ear and she jumped, letting out a loud shriek.

"What the _fuck?!" _She turned around, tightly holding the ragged cloth in her hands, only to find Alex Vause bend over laughing right behind her. "Alex, for fuck's sake, you scared the shit out of me!" In her fit, she threw her the sticky cloth but Alex expertly evaded it and raised her hands, giving up.

"Hey." She choked out, still laughing. She took a second, drawing in a long breath before she was her usual raised-eyebrows, smirking self. "Hey. You've got a big mouth for a Princess."

"Yeah, well, don't do that again." She stuttered out, her face burning red.

"I _knew_ you were the skittish type." She chuckled.

"I knew you were the asshole type." Bit back Piper in an undertone.

Alex laughed again, "Come on, it was a joke." She leant against the counter, hand cupping her chin while penetrating green eyes trained on Piper and she blushed harder for no reason at all. Piper looked away, turning her back to her and Alex continued in a completely casual tone, "Nice ass, by the way."

Piper was shocked for a moment, as she always was, before she caught her snickering to herself out of the corner of her eye, so she clenched her fists, and willed her heart to slow down its rhythm. From the scare. Not the… other thing.

"Thanks." She muttered almost inaudibly. She turned back around and Alex smiled knowingly. "Where's Tom?"

Alex glanced behind her shoulder at the coin ops and shrugged.

"He practically evaporated the minute we got here. I think he wants to beat a record at Donkey Kong." She rolled her eyes. "You know, guys and their videogames."

"You come too. Almost everyday." She pointed out with a frown and small smile on her face. "What are you doing here if you're going to make fun of people playing videogames?"

Alex arched her eyebrows. "Good. You ask the _real_ questions." Piper just rolled her eyes. "I do enjoy videogames, just not as much as I used to. I still beat him at everything, though."

"But no me." Chanted Piper. Alex huffed. After a second of silence, Piper realized they hadn't really been alone since they had started hanging out with Tom and the silence felt heavier. In order to lighten it up, she asked the first thing that came into her mind. "Where do you know him from by the way? Does he go to our school?"

"Aren't you full of questions today?" She replied playfully and then she sighed and shrugged. "He used to. We've been friends since middle school. You know, when Jessica Wedge used to give me hell?" She looked at her for confirmation and Piper nodded with a small frown. "He was one of her targets, too. We became friends in our misery." She finished sarcastically with a wry smile.

Piper felt the same weight in her stomach as the first day she'd seen Alex in the arcade. Guilt. Because she knew what Jessica did wasn't right and she never said anything.

"And then he changed schools?" Piper asked.

"Yeah. We used to come here after school. There was no way we'd be seeing any of those assholes here. It is so _un_cool." She let out a laugh. "Then, when Tom changed schools, we kept it up. It has kinda become _our_ place. So, we meet here every week. Tradition."

Piper realized then just how awful those years must have been for Alex and she felt embarrassed of all the time she'd spent with Jessica even when she knew the kind of person she was. She chewed on her lip and said, "I'm sorry. Jessica is dumb."

Alex stared at her amusedly for a moment before she burst out laughing, shaking her head.

"Yeah. She is." Piper smiled at her and Alex smiled back with this sort of disbelieving look on her eyes, before her smile turned into a smirk. "Hey." She said somewhat softer and Piper's legs felt wobbly. Had Alex used that tone before? "You _still_ owe me that rematch, Princess. I'm going to kick your ass. But this time, just you and me. That traitor is not allowed within 6 feet from my hair." She stated gravelly.

She'd seen them interact for a while now and the question had always lingered in her brain and Piper kept on chewing on her lip before asking what was on her mind. It was pretty obvious they knew each other well and somehow, it always seemed to Piper that she was here more for him than the actual entertainment. Piper just wanted to know for scientific research. And gossip. Nothing more.

"Is he your boyfriend?" She asked hesitantly.

Alex widened her eyes, "Who? Tom?" Piper nodded. "Kid, you've seen us together all this time and _that's _what you came to? Are you fucking kidding me?" Piper frowned with a small smile at her offended tone. Alex scrunched up her nose. "That's just—Gross. And it totally makes me reconsider the whole way I relate to him."

Piper snorted out a laugh. "You sound like a five year-old."

"Yeah, that or a lesbian." She replied immediately, saying it as if it was nothing, but her gaze remained on Piper's face, curiously watching her reaction.

All the while, Piper's mind was just going: _Oh, _because that actually made sense. And Alex was staring at her and she had to say something but she couldn't think of anything coherent, so, in the end, all her mouth could form was, "…Oh," in barely a breath.

She understood Alex's reaction to her tummy showing now. Why she didn't have any boyfriends. And thinking about when she'd called her cute, when she'd complimented her ass and the look on her eyes when she had caught her watching– Piper didn't know what to do with the satisfied feeling coursing through her body. Alex Vause was hot as fuck, and Piper had always had a thing for _astoundingly attractive people_.

But Alex gauged her reaction for a second and then she rolled her eyes, a smile playing at her lips. "Relax, Princess." She looked her up and down; from the spotless vans to her designer jeans, up to the shining heart-shaped necklace and winked at her. Piper, suddenly subconscious, frowned tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "You're not my type."

She was speechless for a second, trying to make sense of the unreasonable feeling of rejection that struck her. Alex had that smug smile on her face and the only reply Piper could muster was, "Well, good, because you're not my type either."

Alex considered her answer for a second before she chuckled and leaned further down on the counter; her face inching closer to Piper's, and asked nonchalantly, "Why not?"

Piper stood her ground, refusing to be intimidated by her. She shrugged dismissively, as if the answer were obvious, and replied immediately.

"Because you're an asshole."

"Ouch." Alex winced jokingly and neared even closer, winning smile on her face. "So, the girl thing's not a problem?"

Piper stood dumbfounded as she realized her mistake and Alex chuckled again, her breath making her nose tingle.

"Shut up." She muttered but she didn't pull away. Her eyes were hypnotizing; a green that was also blue, framed by high cheekbones and perfectly arched eyebrows, and the way the corner of her lips tugged up and seemed to fill her face was making Piper reconsider her whole image of Alex Vause being this ultimate badass; because no one with eyes so pretty and a smile so _full_, could also be labeled under the _hot mess _flag.

But she was. She definitely was. And this realization was doing weird things to her stomach right now.

They were still _very_ close and Piper swallowed visibly, not daring to move an inch. Alex spoke and the warmth of her breath and the low, husky tone, made her release a shuddered breath of her own.

"So, anything besides the asshole thing?"

"Yeah." She replied, still managing to maintain her attitude, although it was kind of difficult to instill any kind of challenge into her voice when it was only a whisper. "You're annoying. And a nerd. And a sore loser."

"_And_ a girl." Alex did that thing where she bit the inside of her cheek and clicked her tongue, shaking her head in disappointment and Piper's heart might as well have leaped off her chest.

It was her turn.

"So, why am I not your type?"

Alex stared at her amusedly.

"Well, you answered that yourself last week." She offered. "How was it?" She drawled before listing, slightly tilting her head, somehow managing to get even closer without her lips touching, "Entitled and spoiled and let's not forget preppy and," She raised her eyebrows in one quick move as if daring her to deny it. "WASPy."

But _mhh_ was all Piper said, unable to concentrate any longer; she didn't even catch the insults. Very slowly, she let her eyes drift downwards and she unconsciously ran her tongue over her lips, her breath catching in her throat as she watched Alex bit her bottom lip and hum softly for a second. There was a strange fluttery feeling in her stomach, the giddy anticipation of something along with the irregular beating of her heart and Piper had no idea what was happening, why she was letting herself lean closer to her every second, their faces inching infinitely closer but she was not going to complain _especially when she could almost already feel it_–

"Dude, they're totally gonna kiss."

They whipped their heads up, Piper tripping backwards to set space between them as fast as possible.

"What the fuck, Tom?" Alex glared at him and he pointed an accusatory finger at Jeff who was standing next to him before shoving him.

"Run, Jeff, you've awoken the kraken!"

Jeff disappeared hurriedly behind a huge, bulky coin op and Tom pursed his lips trying to hide his smile and shrugged, muttering a vague _sorry_ at Alex before retreating too.

Alex huffed and glanced cautiously at Piper, who was looking at the floor, face bright red as she mumbled something about needing to refill the mini fridge before going through the back door.

And Alex followed.

"Hey, Pipes." Piper cleared her throat, didn't answer. "Sorry about that. You know. _Dudes." _She said in that soft tone—_how much softer can her tone get?_, she wondered, half out of her mind. Without even realizing she unclenched her fists. Piper had her back to her and she let out a short, awkward laugh, but nothing more. She didn't really know what to do right now. She had never felt this kind of attraction towards a girl before, but _damn_ if it wasn't making her crazy the idea of kissing Alex. And that didn't make _her_ gay right? It was just one girl in a sea of guys, and no one would even have to know–

"Hey." Alex lightly touched her shoulder and Piper froze. She didn't hear her come closer. "It's fine. I'm sorry I—"

Piper hummed as she considered the situation for a second, the warmth of her hand on her back and before Alex could finish her sentence came the thought.

_Fuck it._

She spun around and crashed their lips together. Alex released a surprised gasp before kissing back, her hands lifting to hold her chin gently while Piper wrapped her arms around her neck, keeping her in place, keeping her close. She was soft, way softer than Piper would have imagined her to be and she felt herself melt against her body, feeling every inch of herself heat up at Alex's touch. Piper was sure she'd never been kissed like that, managing to be slow and rushed, tender and deep. Managing to lift her off the ground. After a while, Piper smiled against her mouth and pulled back with her lips tingling and that fuzzy feeling you get after you kiss someone for too long, as if just waking up from a nice dream; warm and giddy.

"I thought I wasn't your type?" Piper asked playfully, and Alex's low laugh tickled Piper's lips, both of them slightly out of breath.

"I figured I could make an exception for you." And then, her smile growing bigger. "Just 'cause I'm nice like that."

Piper grinned, not without rolling her eyes exaggeratedly first and Alex let out a husky laugh that made Piper shudder to which Alex responded by letting her hands brush Piper's arms leisurely down until they reached her waist.

"I guess maybe you are my type." Mused Piper, eyes trained on her lips. She got to watch Alex form her next words and she bit her bottom lip.

"I knew." And then, they were kissing again.

.

After that, it just flowed.

Alex went by on Thursday. And Friday. And Saturday. On Sunday they texted all day and Piper's heart leapt out of her chest every time her phone buzzed.

Alex started going almost every day and Piper told her mom she'd be taking the bus back home after work. When the store closed, Jeff left her the keys and closed the curtain for her, leaving with Tom. They stayed inside, playing games, talking and laughing at stupid jokes but mostly; kissing. Piper didn't think she had ever enjoyed kissing someone so much. Alex was playful and teasing, always taking her sweet time and Piper was demanding and impatient. The fuzzy feeling in Piper's stomach hadn't subsided since that first day and she was looking forward to the next month and a half still left from their summer holidays.

And more often than not, things got a little out of control.

Three weeks into their _thing_, that was not quite anything yet, Alex's t-shirt was on the floor, her body tangled with Piper's who was pressed against a coin op. Piper's leg shoved in between Alex's thighs, they were kissing deeply and sloppily, caught up in themselves. Piper had her hands in Alex's back pockets whilst Alex was massaging her breasts over her shirt. Except this time, carried away by the moment, Alex pushed the cup of her bra lower until she could feel her nipple and Piper whimpered, clutching her ass. Before they even knew what was happening, they were grinding against each other; soft, almost inaudible moans leaving their mouths.

"Alex." Piper whispered after a while and Alex knew what that meant. She let out a small moan before she bit her lip.

"I know, I'm sorry." She said, resting her forehead against Piper's and forcing herself to stop her movements. They were both breathing heavily, chests heaving and bodies _buzzing_. Piper's head was spinning. Alex's body was so close, her eyes closed, her mouth slightly open and her cheeks flushed and Piper felt a surge of possessiveness ripple through her, her heart bloated because she _really really_ liked this girl. This snarky, conceited asshole that almost never called her by her name and whose favorite pastime was setting her off. Piper shook her head disbelievingly and smiled; kissing her again, slowly, deeply and with meaning and Alex kissed back eagerly before she pulled back with a questioning look and Piper answered her by taking her shirt off. Alex's hands were on her hips immediately, her eyes taking her in in awe. She swallowed, gripped her tighter against her body and pressed a kiss to her temple before pulling back and locking eyes with her, asking for the final confirmation. Piper nodded.

This meant something for them. Because it specifically created a _them_.

And it wasn't nearly as terrifying as they thought it'd be.


End file.
